I always ask myself where that difference in atmpsphere between a European night and a Saturday league game comes from. However, I strongly believe that beyond the initial YNWA, it’s the players who ignite the spark which in turn gets to the supporters. If nothing comes from the players, like Saturday against Fulham, there won’t be much noise coming down from the stands. On the contrary, if the team immediately starts on the front foot and puts the opposing team under pressure in the first minutes, the atmosphere will go up a notch, and that in turn will help the players.
The players must know this, and that’s why I wonder why they started so flatly against Fulham the other day. Iraola must not have liked this at all, and the supporters must have hated it.
But surely, we could get a bit more and more often from the stands, no? If it means more, if we’re a special fanbase, if we are playing or trying to play the brand of football a lot of our fans want, etc. Though like I said, it’s easier said than done. But it should work both ways. I remember Klopp being frustrated with that in the successive draws against United and Arsenal in 2023. The team will not be able to perform in every game, even if the approach is to do so. We weren’t flat because the players wanted it, multiple factors decide what type of performance or game it is, along with the opponent. The fans should also give the team a push when the team is struggling (I’m not saying they never did, but there are many days like that one on Saturday).
It’s a bit the story of the hen and the egg, isn’t it… you are right, the supporters should be pushing the players as much as they can, at all times, but on the other hand, the players can’t expect that. It’s their role to excite the fans by pushing themselves to the max and playing the football the fans want to see. On Saturday, they didn’t look like they were giving their all. We can’t judge why they weren’t able to do that, but still, it wasn’t good enough, and their lethargy went over to the supporters.
By the way, I’ve always thought that the special aspect of the relationship between players and supporters at LFC isn’t the noise. You have some German clubs who produce much more noise on a regular basis, with fans pushing their teams all the way. Even FC Basel, influenced as they are by German football, produce more noise throughout the match.
What makes the relationship special is precisiely that it is a relationship: when the players struggle to produce something, the fans seem to struggle as well with their support. On the contrary, the moment something happens on the pitch, the level of noise suddenly goes through the roof, and the pressure on the opposing team becomes immense. It’s these contrasts which are special imo, and that intimate flux between the players / what happens on the pitch and the atmosphere, and not so much the constant level of support from the Kop or other stands.
I’m not saying in every second of every match, but more and a bit more often.
It doesn’t have to be ultras from the Kop banging on a monotone rhythm all game. I’m aware that elsewhere it’s different and I’m not wishing for Anfield to be like that.
The players cannot expect signing all the time, but then the fans cannot expect the team to play like they want all the time, either. And we are fans of everything Liverpool related, not only Liverpool when they play for 90 minutes.
Careless passes, lack of impetus, drain energy from the crowd. The crowd just needs one tackle or one run to ignite.
That should, in theory, also rejuvenate the players, but currently they can’t seem to maintain that. Factoring in the heavier legs after the shortish CL turnaround.
Almost always the discontent in the crowd starts with the old heads. You’ll see them lose patience and shout at the team to get moving or do something.
And sometimes the players will respond. But sometimes they shrink.
I am working on a super small sample size as I’ve only been to Anfield a few times, but the times I’ve been, in the Kop, in the Klopp years, the locals (I heard it more from the younger locals in their early 20’s) would lay into players over even 1 errant pass, partricularly if it was from a fringe player. 1 shithouse would turn in 10 shithouses and so forth. As everyone says, a bit of positive energy on the field can quickly turn that around but in general, I feel like the players are starting behind the eightball with the home crowd sometimes. The team really have to finish a chance early to keep the crowd onside or its as bad as being at a neutral venue.
I think it was Stevie G or Carra (could be totally wrong and it could be someone else) mentioned a long time ago about how much the players got hyped hearing the crowd when they were in the tunnel, and if the players felt that buzz before walking out of the tunnel it helped them get their tempo and rhythm early, which the crowd fed off and amped up the noise even more, which in turn the players fed of again.
One thing that is often very noticable on tv coverage is the number of fans getting into their seats early at Anfield compared to other grounds, where the stadium will often look empty until the final 5-10 minutes before kick off.
@JU97ICE It started well as it always does. Everyone got really excited with Munoz’s runs and Wirtz and Araujo supported him well.
I think we missed a trick not scoring from Isak’s near miss and Wirtz slightly delayed shot. A goal then and the place would have been bouncing. There were audible groans when we nearly got caught in our box trying to play out. Huge cheer for JJ’s clearance off the line.
The biggest groans were for careless giveaways, stopping forward momentum, allowing Fulham players to progress relatively unchallenged, passing straight to the opposition. After starting brightly, Costas made 2-3 such mistakes. Szobo especially copped some flak as he held on to the ball too long and then ended up passing back a couple of times. Fans were patient with them when the midfield got bypassed but people got on their cases when they didn’t put up much of a challenge or at least didn’t foul Fulham midfielders almost strolling through the midfield area.
I think a big part is different demographics. The league is more predictable and so better suited to the day tripper who comes for the experience, leaving the Euro nights more for the regulars who are more inclined and better able to drive it. It takes the example to an extreme, but you really get a sense of this when you see Liverpool on their pre-season travels.
What gets discussed on social media isnt always a reflection of what is real, but I think it’s notable how much conversation there is these days from long time regulars discussing how the league games just don’t generate the same atmosphere anymore and a lot of people are pointing to some combination of too many day trippers and maybe (more controversially) an aged out segment of old timers who just dont bring it anymore
Currently we have too many players who are like “well, it’s not in my zone, so it’s not my responsibility any more”
More than happy to be proven wrong, but I don’t think we have enough bloody-minded players to play the way Iraola wants. Some of them are a bit too dainty.
Good manager distracting from the personal criticism aimed at Szoboszlai. Unfortunately for him that’s not my job .
Szoboszlai was the major problem against Fulham. One instance is fixed in my mind as it was so stupid and unbelievable for a professional player and captain of a national team.
Fulham had the ball they passed into midfield to a player facing their goal. Wirtz was on him straight away sniping away and delaying the turn and more importantly blocking his easy passes out of the situation back to his ‘defenders’.
Szoboszlai was coming over and as a fan I’m thinking got him. Dom was heading in the correct direction to block the turn and add pressure when suddenly he changed direction and took up a position next to Wirtz. Only reaction a fan can have to that is ‘WTF are you doing? You complete and utter dummy’
The Fulham midfielder now had an easy out turn toward our goal and launch an attack.
I couldn’t watch anymore it was just too much for me, too pathetic. One thing I am sure of is Dom behaved like this for all the time he was on the pitch, he just does it so often. He had been improving in recent games and I thought that perhaps he had been getting coaching over it and it was sinking in. No such luck.
If I take what Iraola said publicly this crap will continue however I think he, Iraola, is better than that and is having words again with Dom.
I like the details. Naming the team on the morning of the game gives everyone a chance to be mentally ready, rather than wondering if you are in or out until an hour before.
And debriefing the game the next day seems wise too, as he will have gathered his thoughts to reinforce the main points he wants to make.
Just small details, but I see snippets like this as a good sign that we have a thorough man at the helm who thinks everything through.
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